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Malta is reclaiming for itself the ancient giant shark tooth that British Prince George received as a weekend gift from world-renowned nature filmmaker Sir David Attenborough to present his new film.
“There are objects that are very important to the natural heritage of Malta, but somehow they have gone abroad and we must get them back,” said Malta’s Minister of Culture, José Herrera, in a recent issue of the Times of Malta.
The 7-year-old prince received the special gift on the occasion of the royal family’s private screening in Attenborough. A life on our planet his new environmental film. Photos released by Kensington Palace show the little prince admiring the petrified giant shark tooth that the writer, filmmaker and conservationist found while on vacation in Malta in the late 1960s.
The fossil is derived from an extinct species, the giant shark (Carcharocles megalodon) comes from one of the largest carnivorous vertebrates that ever lived. The shark species that appeared 23 million years ago and became extinct 2.6 million years ago was three times larger than a white shark today, reaching a length of 16 meters.
In Malta, fossils have been protected by law since 2002. The minister did not elaborate on how to conceive of the British royal family’s tartar recovery, but said he had a place for an ancient shark tooth carved out of soft yellow limestone in a museum in Malta. Malta was a British colony until 1964.
Megalodon teeth are relatively common fossils in many places, as megalodon and other sharks have erupted their teeth and bred new ones in their lifetime, and an adult shark could have killed thousands of teeth. (Guardian, MTI)
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